The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 by Hans R. Schmidt

Though Schmidt emphasizes Wilson's liberal idealism (with democracy and 'free trade' going hand in glove), he doesn't shy away from depicting the violent racism of American occupiers, brutal atrocities ranging from massacres to impressment into chain gangs (exploding the 'we built roads' defense of imperialism), and the everyday slights, indignities and tensions that accompany any occupation. Schmidt exhaustively chronicles the attitudes and actions of American servicemen, politicians and financial officials during the nineteen years of occupation, showing a bizarre melange of conflicting motives: Woodrow Wilson's commitment to spreading democracy and imposing 'law and order,' protection from European nations (namely France and Germany) along with dreams of economic exploitation. This history of America's brutal occupation of Haiti manages to be both exhaustive and incomplete. 'All the more convincing because the author has used previously inaccessible archive materials.' - Journal of American History administration.A model of academic elegance.' -Caribbean Studies Schmidt sees the occupation of Haiti as part of a general tendency in American foreign policy.Schmidt analyses in detail the mechanics of the invasion, and discusses the actions, attitudes, and policies of the U.S. 'An important and well-documented account.an interesting case study in twentieth-century imperialism. imperial control the book will attract a readership beyond students of Caribbean history.' - Kirkus 'Schmidt sees American racism, bondholders cultures, the technocratic side of Progressivism, and the National City Bank looting of Haiti as the factors motivating Wilson's 1915 invasion.As a detailed case study in an exceptional manifestation of U. 'A valuable addition to Latin American and U.S. 'Should become the standard work on the subject.required reading for specialists in Caribbean studies and U.S.-Latin American relations.' - Choice 'The only thoroughgoing study of one of the more discreditable American interventions overseas.' -J ournal of Interdisciplinary History of the brutal racist practices inflicted on the Haitians for nearly all of the nineteen-year American presence in the country.' - American Historical Review 'A good history of a sordid intervention that submitted a people to autocratic rule and did little for economic development.' - The New York Times

The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 by Hans R. Schmidt